“At the present day it may be fairly claimed that machines have supplanted hand labour in working wood.
Year by year improvements have gone on, until bench work and hand skill have become comparatively unimportant elements in wood manufacture; and, as Professor Willis remarked before the Society of Arts, 1852, “nothing remains to be done, but to put the component parts together.” None, except those who have learned their trades when and where machines were not used, can realize this change.
You may tell the apprentice of to-day about going out through the snow to a board-pile, selecting your stuff, carrying it in, and after scraping off the snow in winter, or sweeping off the dust in summer, laying out the stuff with a chalkline, and straight-edge, ripping out the job by hand, setting it about the stove to dry, and then dressing it up with a jack plane. You may tell him of mortising by hand, cutting tenons and shoulders, with a backsaw, and he will look at you with an incredulous stare.
No wonder; for this sort of thing has passed away, and with it, we are happy to say, some of the hardest labour that ever was dignified with the name of mechanical. It was mechanical, nevertheless, and called for the continual exercise of judgment and skill; from the cutting out to the cleaning off, it was a kind of race between brains and muscle, in which brains sometimes conquered.
Many a time, as older hand workmen will remember, would a small man, without that muscular strength that seemed to be the main element in his work, have earned his dollar or two dollars more at the end of the week than his strongest competitor, simply by his superior hand skill, superior judgment, and superior tools.”
- John Richards, “On the Arrangement, Care, and Operation of Wood-working Factories and Machinery, Forming a Complete Operator’s Handbook” (1873)
And done, I think it’ll do.
I finished the Macassar Ebony Flower Vase, it was a really fun learning experience. I’m looking forward to working with wood of this quality again.
I carved the mouth with a chisel and a knife, which was insanely difficult, but still fun. The design makes way more sense when it’s filled with flowers, so I’ll make sure to get a picture with some tomorrow.
Finished with ethically harvested wax & mineral oils.
I wasn’t going to post any pictures of the box until it was done so it would be a surprise, so I am reluctantly going to stick to that and this will be the last picture of it until it’s completed. But I had to post this one because these are easily the cleanest and best dovetails I have ever cut, and I’m super proud of them. All of the joinery is looking perfect. This is the most pleased I’ve ever been with a project and it’s gorgeous.
P.s. Anyone who says you can’t use Japanese saws on hardwoods is a complete idiot, and is probably terrible at sawing, so just don’t listen to them.
I picked up some African Blackwood for Amanda’s box today. Normally around $100 a board foot, but luckily I have friends that don’t mind slipping me a piece. This is going to make up the lid of the Paduak box with Paduak bridle jointed around it, will hopefully look quite nice.
Evon and I worked on the maple Roubo bench we built for the school, talked with Gary about steam bending, and turned some ebony. Also hand-cut the dadoes for Amanda’s jewelry box. Cutting dadoes with a saw, chisel, and router plane is quite the experience. Good week at school.
“The Individualist-Anarchist has been generally philosophical, practical, yet slightly removed from reality by virtue of his philosophical tendency, and at the same time highly self-conscious…. His philosophy stresses the isolation of the individual – his right to his own tools, his mind, his body, and to the products of his labor. To the artist who embraces this philosophy it is “aesthetic” anarchism, to the reformer, ethical anarchism, to the independent mechanic, economic anarchism. The former is concerned with philosophy, the latter with practical demonstration.”
- Eunice Minette Schuster, “Native American Anarchism,” page 10
I went to Woodworkers Source here in Tucson to pick up some African Padauk (last two shots). Had an insane selection of exotic wood. When I win the lottery I’ll go back and buy out their stock of ebony. Met some real nice folks there too.
The Padauk is destined to become a small dovetailed chest later this week.
Found a really gorgeous piece of Macassar Ebony today, going to turn it next week.
10 Construction Commandments of Wallace Nutting
1. All work should be of the best quality.
2. If the old method is best, use it.
3. If the work can be done better by hand, do it that way.
4. Use long and large mortises, and large square white oak pins.
5. Make all joined work to fit perfectly, using drawbore where it is better.
6. Match the color where two pieces come together.
7. Follow the sample strictly. Take no liberties.
8. The hand and mouth do not work effectively at the same time.
9. Keep busy, do your best, and no fault will be found.
10. Let nothing leave your hands until you are proud of the work.
-from “Wallace Nutting, Collector and Entrepreneur” by William Dulaney
